Targeted Asthma Treatments May Be on the Horizon

Diacylglycerol kinase zeta (DGKζ) may play a role in suppressing airway inflammation in patients with asthma, according to new research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 2019 International Conference.

Results of the study were presented by lead researcher Brenal Singh, BA, from the University of Pennsylvania, on Monday, May 20.

FOR MORE ATS 2019 COVERAGE, READ MORE...

New Treatment for Difficult-to-Treat Asthma Is Safe, Effective After 1 Year

Novel Inhibitor Reduces the Rate of RTIs in Elderly Adults With Asthma

To come to this conclusion, Singh and colleagues conducted a study in a mouse model of allergic asthma.

Wild type and DGKζ-knockout mice were exposed to an ovalbumin-induced allergic asthma mouse model. Airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness were subsequently assessed.

Results showed that targeting DGKζ protected against allergic asthma by simultaneously blocking airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness by independent mechanisms, the researchers noted.

“These data suggest that DGKζ is a novel therapeutic target for asthma and reveals that the inflammatory and [airway hyperresponsiveness] components of asthma are not as interdependent as generally believed,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Singh B, Lu W, Schmidt Paustian AM, et al. Allergic airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness are independently controlled by diacylglycerol kinase. Paper presented at: ATS International Conference; May 17-22, 2019; Dallas, TX. https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/5789/presentation/11111.